The Arkansas bill introduced by Republican Representative Sue Scott to allow permit holders to open carry has been scuttled in committee after opposition from Republican Speaker Davy Carter and the Arkansas State Police.

Representative Scott worked hard to protect the bill and deserves our support. She spoke passionately about why she felt the bill was needed.

She said the bill will “give all the people of Arkansas a chance to open carry. To carry out that right that our forefathers set up years ago … I want [citizens] to know, hey, we’re watching out for you, we’re going to take care of each other in the state of Arkansas. That person is going to take care of me in the event that something happens.”

And she had a prediction about how criminals would react to seeing someone open carrying.

“If they see someone with a gun, carrying, hopefully that might be a deterrent. I think we’re going to see crime numbers go down.”

But criminals will remain safe from such considerations for at least another year as the bill was first mutilated and then scuttled in committee after the Arkansas State Police testified that it would be unsafe.

Rumors abound that the bill was DOA in any case based upon pressure brought to bear by Speaker Carter. Democratic Governor Beebe, who also opposed the bill, did not need to become involved as Speaker Carter did his dirty work for him. In the following video, Carter defends his opposition.

Next election Arkansas voters would do well to remember who it was that stood against them.

In a bi-partisan display of support for the right to keep and bear arms, every single sheriff in the entire state of Florida has signed a pledge to “not enforce laws that violate the Constitution or infringe on the rights of the people to own firearms.”

At the same time, the Florida Sheriffs Association passed a resolution at their Winter Conference reiterating their support for the Second Amendment.

Former Texas Ranger and NRA Board Member Joaquin Jackson likes to pose with a lever action rifle. And apparently, if he had his way, that would be practically all that you would be allowed to own.

While Jackson, who has appeared in the popular “I’m The NRA” ad campaign, likes to claim that he considers the Second Amendment to be a fundamental right, he has made comments demonstrating that he is anything but a true supporter of the gun rights of all Americans.

A leftover relic of the ‘hunters and skeet shooters only’ mentality that once prevailed at the NRA, Jackson said in a 2007 television interview that he thinks 5 rounds are all that any firearm owned by “civilians” should ever be allowed to hold.

That’s right. There is a sitting member of the NRA Board of Directors that wants laws more infringing than those recently passed by New York!

Yesterday, New Hampshire gun owners came out in force to tell Democrat Delmar Burridge what they think about his attempt to outlaw open carry in public buildings.

Of particular concern to many in attendance was the fact that Burridge’s bill would make a first-time violation a class B felony.

Burridge continued to insist that a felony was a ‘fair penalty’ for those who engage in activity that is protected by both the First and Second Amendments to the US Constitution.

But this is not the first time that Burridge has come down against the rights of citizen advocates.

In 2007, a constituent emailed Burridge urging him to support a marijuana decriminalization bill. Rather than respond, Burridge forwarded the email to law enforcement so the constituent could be investigated.

Well what a surprise … a Democrat is opposed to expanding the civil rights of the citizens living in his state. Who would have imagined such a thing?

Actually I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised at Governor Beebe’s anti-civil rights stance since even the left-leaning Blue Arkansas Blog has chastised him for reappointing an Alderman who sent racist emails about African-American city officials to a state commission.

But to be scrupulously fair, I should point out that this is not strictly a Democrat vs Republican issue.

In truth, there are four democrat co-sponsors of the legislation which would convert Arkansas’ concealed carry permit system to a carry permit system allowing permit holders to carry openly or concealed as they see fit.

So not all Arkansas Democrats are anti-liberty and not all Arkansas Republicans are pro-liberty.

For example, Republican Speaker of the House Davy Carter has also come out in opposition to the bill.

If you are an Arkansas gun owners then let Governor Beebe and Speaker Carter know what you think about their stance against the civil rights of gun owners.

After Oklahoma passed open carry legislation last year, Arkansas became one of only six remaining states that completely ban the open carry of properly holstered handguns by law abiding citizens.

At least one of the other states, Texas, also has an open carry bill in the current legislative session. So it is good to see that Arkansas is taking action as well.

The bill in question was introduced by Republican Representative Sue Scott of Rogers. However, House Speaker Davy Carter says that he opposes the bill.

Might I suggest that all gun owners who live in Arkansas take the time to contact Mr. Carter and let him know that just having an R in front of his name is not sufficient to keep the support of gun owners.

A VCDL backed bill to further enhance concealed handgun permit holder privacy protections is on the way to Governor McDonnell for his signature.

In 2009, a VCDL backed bill was passed and signed into law which prevented the Virginia State Police from releasing private details about permit holders but this bill would extend the same prohibition to county clerks of court.

Vice President Biden is known far and wide as being the master of the gaffe. Were he a Republican instead of a Democrat, the ‘pet media’ would have long since convinced the American public to have him committed to some nice facility where he could watch Bugs Bunny cartoon for the rest of his life.

But instead, we are stuck with a skinnier version of Peter Griffin as Vice-President, and may God preserve and keep President Obama because we never … ever … want Biden sitting in the Oval Office.

And that brings us to today’s topic. Biden likes to think of himself as a bit of an expert on … well … just about everything; and guns are no exception. During a Facebook question and answer session yesterday, Biden insisted that no one would ever need an AR15 or similar semi-auto firearm for self-defense because you could just use a double barrel shotgun.